As technology has progressed, sellers of meat products have been able to make a transition from having to sell, for example, the live chicken to being able to sell cuts and portions of slaughtered animals. Such cuts and parts are typically, of course, maintained frozen in order to preclude bacteriological degradation. With time, the sellers adopted refrigerated vehicles wherein the cuts and parts were maintained frozen by using ice and "dry ice".
Certainly, however, employing such a method to ensure maintaining the meats in a frozen state have drawbacks. Regardless of what freezing agent is employed, it will dissipate over time, particularly when temperatures are high.
With the advent of the supermarket, butchering of the animals came to take place in the same location at which the meat products were presented for sale. The animals were butchered, packaged, and immediately placed in locations where the consumer could choose a particular cut of meat or poultry parts he desired to purchase. Temperatures in the coolers could be maintained at optimum levels, and, in any case, no more packages than could be expected to be purchased in a reasonable time in which bacteriological degradation would not occur were prepared. As the supply of a particular cut became low, the one-site butcher would prepare additional packaged cuts to replace those purchased.
The sides of beef or chickens to be prepared for sale, in such circumstances, can be maintained in freezers, if they need be maintained for a relatively extended period of time before being cut into portions for presentation to the consumer. Maintenance of the meat products can, thereby, be extended for significant periods of time.
Typically, supermarkets present a meat product for sale at a temperature above freezing. By doing so, the products can be given a more appealing appearance, and they are available for immediate preparation by the consumer, if necessary.
In view of this temperature regulation, blood and other liquids exuded from the meat products can collect in the packaging in which the products are wrapped for presentation to the consumer. It is common to employ expanded polystyrene trays to hold the meat cuts or parts. After the meat is place in a tray, the tray is wrapped with, for example, cellophane or a similar film-like wrap. Without means being provided to absorb the liquids, the liquids tend to collect in a puddle in the bottom of the tray, and the meat remains in the puddle.
Under such conditions, the products presented for sale are unsitely and unappetizing More importantly, however, the meat can be rendered unhealthy because of bacteriological development. It has been found that blood and other liquid by-products provide a fertile medium for bacterial growth. When no attempt is made to segregate the liquid by-products from the cut of meat, the meat will tend to deteriorate rapidly. Such circumstances not only present dangers to health and well-being of the consumers, but they also give rise to lost profits, even if the consuming public is adequately protected.
In attempting to resolve these problems, the meat marketing industry has developed soaker pads for absorbing the exudants. Such soaker pads typically incorporate an absorbent material such as cellulose paper. A layer of such absorbent material is placed on the floor of the tray into which the meat product is to be placed. A lamina of substantially impermeable material such as polyethylene overlies the cellulose, absorbent material to segregate the meat product placed in the tray from the liquid by-products absorbed by the cellulose paper.
A typical soaker pad includes an absorbent material and overlying lamina which are integrally formed. The pad is placed on the floor of the tray with the polyethylene outer lamina facing upwardly. The pad is dimensioned so that it fits to generally cover the full floor of the tray. The meat product is then placed on the polyethylene lamina.
As liquids are exuded from the meat, they pass over the polyethylene sheet and down into crevices defined between the edges of the soaker pad and the side walls of the tray. As this occurs, the absorbent material becomes exposed to the exudants, since the edges of the soaker pad are not covered by the polyethylene. A "wicking" action occurs, and the liquid exudants are absorbed by the cellulose paper fiber material.
While a number of the problems inherent in the sale of meat products are solved by such a structure, others are created. For example, while the pad, if it is properly seated on the floor of the tray, can efficiently function to absorb exudants, if the pad becomes crumpled or shifts so that a significant portion becomes elevated from the floor of the tray, much of the absorbent power of the pad becomes lost. Further, that portion of the floor of the tray no longer covered by the pad will enable puddling of exudants, and bacteriological deterioration of the meat products will occur.
Attempts have been made to ensure that the soaker pad is maintained in its proper position within the expanded polystyrene tray. The thrust of these efforts is the employment of an adhesive, spread or spotted at spaced locations on the underside of the pad, to effect affixation. This suggested solution has, however, proven generally unacceptable. Care must be taken to ensure that the adhesive selected is not one that would created health dangers because of its chemical composition.
Additionally, the adhesive must be of a character wherein it does not dissolve or is not rendered incapable of accomplishing affixation when it becomes flooded by the liquid meat by-products. Even when adhesives believed to be acceptable are employed, shifting of the soaker pad can still result. Because of the nature of the absorbent cellulose paper fibers, fiber separation can occur and dislodgement of the soaker pad result.
Attempts have been made to secure the soaker pad in other manners. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,552,600 (Laiewski et al.) has suggested securing a thermoplastic sheet to a raised shoulder area of a tray for display of meats. The boarder area of the thermoplastic film is, in that patent, secured to the shoulder of the tray by heat sealing. The seal is intended to be liquid-tight.
This solution, however, is also unacceptable. Heat sealing over large areas of an expanded polystyrene tray has been found to work deleterious effects upon the tray.
It is to these problems of the prior art that the present invention is directed. It is an improved method for securing a soaker pad to an expanded polystyrene tray.